Federated Ascendancy Starfleet
The Federated Ascendancy Starfleet, commonly called the Ascendant Navy, is the senior service of the Ascendant military and the unofficial training ground for Ascendant statesbeings - fully one-half of members of the First Estate, as well as all three former Ladies Ascendant, served in the Navy in some capacity. Naval Command - The Admiralty According to popular belief, the navy is run by the eight sector commanders, who allow the Admiralty the illusion of control so that it can deal with all the paperwork. There is some truth to this, but the Admiralty does retain significant, if rarely used oversight power. Currently, most of the Admiralty is filled with temporary appointees, as there is nobody with the authority to confirm new members after the death of Lady Sikala II. Fleet Admiral Lord Alexandre Quick, Acting First Space Lord Rear Admiral Sophie Marceau, Second Space Lord (Personnel and Materiel) Rear Admiral Marcel Dubois, Acting Third Space Lord (Naval Intelligence) Vice Admiral Jacques Ferrier, Acting Fourth Space Lord (Judge Advocate General) Colonel Pauline Salesse, Ascendant Army liason Commandant Georges Boulanger, Fortress Command liason Operational Commands The Starfleet is organized around the sectors it protects; one fleet to each sector, though the vast majority of the navy's ships are arranged along the Galactic Eastern border, facing the French Empire. Capitol Fleet, containing nearly half the heavy ships of the navy, acts as a ready reserve for the rest of the nation. Sector fleet strength is as follows: 'Capitol Fleet - Firmament Sector; 22,100 Points' CO: Fleet Admiral Lord Alexandre Quick Major Elements: 1st Battle Squadron - 8x Victoire-class Superdreadnoughts 2nd, 3rd Battle Squadron - 8x Inflexible-class Dreadnoughts 4th, 5th, 17th Battlecruiser Squadron - 10x Glorieux-class Battlecruisers 77th, 78th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Pike-class Heavy Cruisers 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 'Inception Sector Fleet; 14,700 Points' CO: Admiral Hive Queen Iklikt Tr Major Elements: 15th Battle Squadron - 4x Victoire-class Superdreadnoughts 16th Battle Squadron - 7x Inflexible-class Dreadnoughts 18th, 19th Battlecruiser Squadron - 10x Glorieux-class Battlecruisers 79th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Pike-class Heavy Cruisers 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 'Isabella Sector Fleet; 11,450 Points' CO: Admiral Countess Elizabeth Seagrace of New Baerne Major Elements: 31st Battle Squadron - 4x Victoire-class Superdreadnoughts 32nd Battle Squadron - 5x Inflexible-class Dreadnoughts (Less BatDiv 32.2) 33rd Battlecruiser Squadron - 10x Glorieux-class Battlecruisers 80th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Pike-class Heavy Cruisers 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 38th, 39th, 40th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 'Sleighbell Sector Fleet; 2,150 Points' CO: Vice Admiral James Dupres Major Elements: ' 41st Battlecruiser Squadron (Dispersed) - 2x Glorieux-class Battlecruisers 42nd Cruiser Squadron - 6x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 43rd, 44th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th Light Attack Squadron - 10x Inqusiteur-class Corvettes 'Zephyr Sector Fleet; 2,150 Points CO: Vice Admiral Charles Du Lac Major Elements: ' 41st Battlecruiser Squadron (Dispersed) - 2x Glorieux-class Battlecruiser 49th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 50th, 51st Cruiser Squadron - 6x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 52nd, 53rd, 54th, 55th Light Attack Squadron - 10x Inqusiteur-class Corvettes 'Windmill Sector Fleet; 2,150 Points CO: Vice Admiral Lady Charlotte Grey Major Elements: ' 41st Battlecruiser Squadron (Dispersed) - 2x Glorieux-class Battlecruiser 56th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 57th, 58th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd Light Attack Squadron - 10x Inqusiteur-class Corvettes 'Lorica Sector Fleet; 2,150 Points CO: Vice Admiral Count Alexi Balen of Grangehead Major Elements: ' 41st Battlecruiser Squadron (Dispersed) - 2x Glorieux-class Battlecruiser 63rd Cruiser Squadron - 6x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 64th, 65th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 66th, 67th, 68th, 69th Light Attack Squadron - 10x Inqusiteur-class Corvettes 'James Sector Fleet; 2,150 Points CO: Vice Admiral Hive Queen Ekrit Major Elements: ''' 41st Battlecruiser Squadron (Dispersed) - 2x Glorieux-class Battlecruiser 70th Cruiser Squadron - 6x Sabre-class Medium Cruisers 71st, 72nd Cruiser Squadron - 6x Morghann-class Light Cruisers 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th Light Attack Squadron - 10x Inqusiteur-class Corvettes '''Extraterritorial Duty: Voyageur Republic Battle Division 32.2 - 2x Inflexible-class Dreadnoughts 6th Cruiser Squadron - 10x Pike-class Heavy Cruisers 81st Cruiser Squadron - 10x Pike-class Heavy Cruisers Weapons of the Starfleet Graser Cannon: The mainstay energy weapon of Ascendant ships, grasers fire charged particles at extremely high velocities and are quite accurate at short to medium ranges. Grasers scale very well; the same technology powers light antifigher quad turrets and the titanic, corvette-sized emplacements aboard a Victoire-class superdreadnought. Grasers are classified by the diameter of their emitters. *Type Eleven Single 2m Graser Cannon: The largest energy weapon in the Ascendant arsenal, the cannon (with attendant capacitors, cooling arrays, and power feeds) is approximately the same size as some older corvette classes, which lead to no small amount of envy from corvette commanders towards superdreadnought gunnery officers. *Type Thirteen Triple 1m Graser Cannon: Less powerful in per-shot yield than the Type Eleven but with a rate of fire almost four times higher, the Type Thirteen is an extremely effective weapon. *Type Twenty-Two 75cm Graser Cannon: 'Notre 75,' as it is called, is the main weapon on the Glorieux-class battlecruisers and on several obsolete dreadnought classes, and has played a vital part in every Ascendant war since the War of Self-Determination. *Type Twelve Single 60cm Graser Cannon: A new weapon, the Type Twelve was intended to bring the Pike-class heavy cruisers something resembling the firepower available to larger ships. Low rate of fire is made up for by advanced targeting software and a new longer barrel design, which provides increased range and accuracy. *Type Twenty-Four Triple 30cm Graser Cannon: The main weapon on Ascendant medium and heavy cruisers, the Type Twenty-Four provides an excellent power-to-weight ration and an extremely high rate of fire, allowing it to be used in a point-defense role or for antishipping fire. *Type Twenty-Three Single 30cm Graser Cannon: Essentially one third of a Type Twenty-Four, this weapon remains useful against small ships but is almost entirely ineffective against anything larger than a light cruiser. *Type Five Quad 5cm Graser Cannon: A point-defense mount, the Type Five has remained largely unchanged for a century. It is mounted as a broadside weapon on the tiny Inquisiteur-class corvettes. Missiles: 'Varied in the extreme, the Ascendant arsenal is packed full of different sizes and types of missiles. From heavy antiship torpedoes carried by battlecruisers to the ubiquitous countermissiles, there is a missile for every job and a job for every missile. *Capital Missiles: The Mark Seven Capital-Grade Variable-Payload Guided Missile is the most common in the Ascendant military, because Fortress Command missiles are variants of the same platform. Common payloads include contact/proximity detonated nuclear warheads, bomb-pumped graser warheads, ECM warheads, and antifighter cluster warheads. The Mark Seven is guided by a mixture of internal sensors and continuous targeting updates from the host ship. *Assault Missiles: The counterpart of the Mark Seven used on subcapital warships is the Mark Twenty-One, a lighter, less powerful missile capable of only five-sixths the Mark Seven's acceleration. That said, Mark Twenty-One launchers have a much higher cycle time than capital launchers, and all of the same types of warheads are available. *Heavy Torpedoes: Carried by battlecruisers, the new heavy cruisers, and HIT bombers, the Mark Four is an immensely powerful graser warhead propelled by a robust reaction engine capable of driving the torpedo forwards at very high speeds. *Countermissiles: The current fleet-standard countermissile is the Mark Eight, which uses a similar engine to the Mark Four torpedo. It is capable of high-deflection interceptions at close range or less demanding interceptions at longer ranges. Starfleet Vessels Generally speaking, Ascendant warships are nimble for their sizes, well-shielded, poorly armored, and absurdly overgunned against comparable ships. Frequently called 'glass cannons,' Starfleet ships are encouraged by doctrine to close to point-blank range as quickly as possible, where their agility and disproportionate firepower can compensate for their fragility. This philosophy is even present in capital warships - the ''Victoire superdreadnoughts, for example, are designed to operate in pairs against individually-superior warships and are speedy by the standards of ships of the wall. Typically, Ascendant designs are dagger-shaped, with energy weapons arranged to allow the ship's entire armament to bear on a single target - the ship's 'alpha arc.' Unusually for a major power, the Ascendant Starfleet does not field any large carrier designs - a legacy of the disastrous Aviary Incident of the War of Self-Determination. The designs of capital ships and subcapitals vary in several particulars. Beyond the obvious size and power differences, subcapitals are designed to allow much more radical lateral movement than larger ships. As a result, their alpha arcs face forward, while capital ships' face up. '''Capital Warships: Victoire-class Superdreadnought (500 points per): No exception to the standards of Ascendant shipbuilding, the Victoire is a titanic unit mounting the largest graser batteries available. These cannons, each the size of a corvette, are the Ascendancy's final response to any threat: overwhelming firepower delivered by an agile, well-shielded platform. These ships carry dedicated fleet command facilities to allow them to serve as flagships. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 10x Triple 1m Graser Cannon 1 Group (Axial) 5x Single 2m Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 30x Capital Missile Launchers Inflexible-''class Dreadnought (300 points per): The mainstay of Ascendant fleets, the ''Inflexibles are powerful enough to serve as flagships for task forces or, when concentrated, devastate enemy fleets with hails of graser fire or long-range missile bombardment. Possessed of more launchers, proportionally, than their larger cousins the Victoire class, these ships are nonetheless excellent in the capital equivalent of a dogfight. The ships are aging and are due to be replaced by a new design currently on the drawing boards within a decade or so. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 6x Triple 1m Graser Cannon 1 Group (Axial) 3x Single 2m Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 30x Capital Missile Launchers Lady Sikala II-class Battle Carrier (175 points per): Gar Naabal-''class escort carriers purchased from the Hiigaran Clans Navy, these are the first carriers commissioned in the Starfleet since the Aviary Incident, during the War of Self-Determination. The Incident saw the destruction of a Firmament Defense Force carrier with all hands in a sneak attack by a French battlecruiser - since then, carriers have been viewed as unacceptably risky. Lady Sikala II, during her time as a battlecruiser commander, gained a great amount of experience with fighter forces and managed to force the Admiralty to re-investigate the concept. The class carries her name in Ascendant service. The ship carries a significantly different loadout in Ascendant service than in Hiigaran - Apart from the replacement of Hiigaran weaponry with box launchers for heavy missiles, there are vast differences in the composition of the ships' fighter group. The higher cost, material, and energy requirements of Ascendant fightercraft means that the group is approximately ten squadrons less than is standard in the Clans Navy. That space has been converted into storage for spare parts, munitions, and fuel, enough for a single carrier to supply a squadron of medium cruisers for several months. This capability has a small but vocal group of officers calling for a rapid increase in carrier strength to reduce the patrol pressure on the Starfleet's aging medium cruisers. Main Battery: 3 Groups (Bow/Port/Starboard): 10x Capital Missile Launchers Carried Craft: 30x HIT Gunboat 20x EWAR Gunboat 100x HIT Space Superiority Fighter 100x HIT Bomber ''Glorieux-class Battlecruiser (150 points per): Swift and deadly, the Navy's battlecruiser squadrons have been its favorite proving ground for future flag officers for centuries. The largest ships to be deployed as independent units, rather than parts of fleets, these ships are a common sight in the colonies. Unusually for Ascendant capital ships, they carry fightercraft in recognition of their frequent deployment against smaller units. The Glorieux are fast enough to catch what they can kill and to outrin what they cannot - at least in theory. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 6x Triple 75cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 15x Capital Missile Launchers Carried Craft: 20x HIT Space Superiority Fighter 30x HIT Bomber 5x EWAR-configuration HIT Gunboat Subcapital Warships Pike-class Heavy Cruiser (100 points per): Larger, more durable, and generally more useful than the Sabre class, the new Pikes are intended to supplement the Navy's battlecruisers as heavy combatants for subcapital battles. They carry five EWAR gunboats and two squadrons of fightercraft. As a new design, doctrine is still evolving for the Pikes, but a penchant for simultaneous attacks with missiles and fightercraft from widely divergent vectors is emerging among their captains. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 6x Triple 30cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Axial) 3x Single 60cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 30x Assault Missile Launchers Carried Craft: 10x HIT Space Superiority Fighter 10x HIT Bomber 5x EWAR-configuration HIT Gunboat Sabre-class Medium Cruiser (75 points per): Originally designed as escorts for a class of battleship that has since been phased out of service, the Sabres are compact, powerful units notable for their extremely powerful graser batteries. Sabres carry five gunboats as supplemental point defence, and for reconnaissance. The Sabres are, unique among Ascendant warships, not built by Vinhive Fleet Yards,but by Inception Consolidated Stardrive, which also produces the HIT series of parasite craft. Because of this, there is a sharp divide among naval officers about their quality - some hate them, while those who can acclimate themselves to the non-traditional design are quite fond of the ships. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 3x Triple 30cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 20x Assault Missile Launchers Carried Craft: 5x HIT Gunboat Morghann-''class Light Cruiser (50 points per): A capable light unit, these ships for the backbone of the ANs antipirate forces. In fleet actions, they are quite adept at screening larger ships from missile and fighter attacks, but they truly come into their own in convoy escort duties. Standard procedure is to use three ''Morghanns with a medium or heavy cruiser as flagship to protect groups of merchant ships passing through dangerous areas - the flagship and one light cruiser stay with the convoy, while the other two scout ahead. Main Battery: 3 Groups (Port/Starboard/Axial) 5x Single 30cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 10x Assault Missile Launchers Inquisiteur-''class Corvette (20 points per): These tiny ships serve in a variety of roles ranging from couriers to convoy escort to pirate hunting. Corvettes are almost never employed in set-piece battles, as their small size prohibits them from carrying sufficient shielding or ammunition to be of much use. In single-ship engagements, standard tactics are to make use of the ship's high alpha-strike capability by rapid-firing missiles while burning towards the enemy, then roll to present the alpha arc at optimal energy range. Main Battery: 2 Groups (Port/Starboard) 3x Single 30cm Graser Cannon 3 Groups (Port/Starboard/Axial) 3x Quad 5cm Graser Cannon 1 Group (Bow) 6x Assault Missile Launchers '''Fighters/Gunboats' HIT Series: HIT ships, HIT being an acronym signifying the drive system (Hyperaccelerated Ion Turbine) common to the series, form nearly the entirety of the Starfleet's parasite force. Space Superiority Fighter (1 point per 2): Carrying a triple 5cm graser mount in the nose, as well as numerous countermissiles, the HIT SSF is designed to wreak havoc among its opponents. Largely, it succeeds. Bomber (1 point per 2): Trading the monstrous graser for a cavernous payload pay and adding powerful sensors, the HIT bomber is a very capable antiship strike craft. It carries a pair of 2cm autograsers on pintle mounts for defence, one dorsal and one ventral. Gunboat (1 point per): Essentially a HIT SSF stretched to make the armament less ridiculously outsized, the gunboat adds a pair of rotary antifighter missile launchers and an autograser turret, as well as superb (for a fighter) ECM. There are two variants in serial production; the HIT GB-S and the GB-E. The GB-S is the standard version, carrying the armaments listed above, while the GB-E is an electronic warfare variant mounting a ventral and a dorsal autograser as well as massively powerful jammers. The GB-E is frequently employed as a squadron command ship, as it offers vastly improved command-and-control capabilities. Category:Space Navy